Cant load windows:Win failed to start ---->bsod bad_sys_config_info

[bralik]

Hi. My Dell Studio 17 shut down yesterday after sitting idle. Now i cannot boot windows. I get this endless loop that ultimately leads me to startup repair which either hangs or errors out. Attempting to start in safe mode takes me to same place.
I know the root of the problem is bsod as I see it flash when attempting to load windows.f
I was able to launch system restore tool from advanced options (f8) but after selecting restore point the cpu seems to hang after over an hour of Initalizing.
I can bring up command prompt by the way.
I don't believe I have any installation disks from time of purchase. Please help! Thank you.

 

[writhziden]

You will need a Windows 7 repair disc or you can use the http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/666-advanced-boot-options.html to get to the System Recovery Options.

Then try the steps in Startup Repair Infinite Loop Recovery. Note the warning:

   Warning

The instructions presented withing this tutorial must be followed correctly, or you can damage your Windows 7 installation even further. This tutorial is designed to help recover from a bad registry that is causing the startup repair loop. You should note that there may still be some issues remaining that cannot be fixed by manually restoring the registry.

If the above does not work, proceed with the steps for http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/219533-troubleshooting-windows-7-failure-boot.html and let us know if you have any questions as you go.

 

[bralik]

Thanks for the expedient reply. Two questions, first will my files be preserved? I assume they will. Second, I preciously attempted the recovery steps through command prompt and could not locate the system drive with all folders. The first attempt the cpu would only recognize x:. I tried it again and could get to c and d drives but the dir listing didn't show similar folders as the turorial. Will using the recovery Cd change this? Thanks!

 

[writhziden]

X: is the ramdisk and is not actually your system hard disk. It is a virtual disk created for the recovery environment in the RAM.

Your OS may reside on C:, D:, E:, F:, G:, H:, etc. but not on X:. It varies from system to system and depends on your partitions. As an example, the following is my system setup and shows that the recovery environment will see my system drive as E: instead of C: (see the red letters):

View attachment 218679


And yes, your files will be preserved with both methods. We can help you recover them if necessary, but there are steps in http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/219533-troubleshooting-windows-7-failure-boot.html that help backup files, too. See step 9. for recovering your files using http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/219533-troubleshooting-windows-7-failure-boot.html.